Kevin Levin (Alien Force)
Although no explanation is given for his return from the Null Void or change in powers, Kevin Ethan Levin returns as a 16-year old teenager in Ben 10: Alien Force. He serves as Ben and Gwen Tennyson's knowledgeable teammate, and the latter's primary love interest. History Originally an antagonist, he is first seen in the episode "Ben 10 Returns pt. 1" brokering an illegal weapons deal with the Forever Knights. It is later revealed that he is acting as a middle-man for the DNAliens, who are disguising themselves as Humans, providing vastly superior "Level 5" weapons. The weapons deal is interrupted by Ben Tennyson, appearing as the alien Swampfire. After being captured by Ben, Kevin reluctantly agrees to help Ben and Gwen on their quest to find the missing Max Tennyson - although he does so simply so he can be paid. Although he is somewhat unwilling to do much in the way of helping, he is not against the idea of fighting against the DNAliens. His tendencies toward violence keep him fighting alongside Ben and Gwen, but he is still reluctant on further investigating. When Magister Labrid dies due to a tear in his containment suit, Kevin is convinced to join on full time in assisting Ben and Gwen, as repayment for the alien saving his life. Although he has signed up full time in assisting the Tennysons, his personality is aggressive and distrustful as ever. He is not above approaching situations in the most violent way possible, and has no predisposition about launching himself headlong into situations with fists flying. This has caused him trouble in a number of situations; most notably in the episode "Paradox", when he is turned into an old man for trying to punch a time-space anomaly in the form of the 1950s Monster, and in the episode "The Gauntlet", where he attempts to start a fight with an alien gauntlet enhanced Cash, and is promptly beaten. Kevin shows a romantic interest in Gwen Tennyson, often going out of his way to talk with her and try to show interest and concern for her. He steps in when Ben and Gwen argue, has promised to follow Gwen 'anywhere', and has tried to step in many times in her defense while fighting. He has not, and does not seem willing to, openly admit these feelings to Gwen. Despite this, however, the two are often seen traveling together, as if they were dating. In "Darkstar Rising," he reveals that his father was also a Plumber. He never met his father, but his mother told Kevin stories about what his father did. This is a big gap in the original series because in Ben 10, he said that his parents both left him because of his strange electrical powers but it may have only been an exaggeration on his part, since it is slightly hinted that Kevin's mother remarried, due to him saying, "My father, my real father". It is also possible that he had somehow ended up it foster care, and that it was these parents that left him. At the end of the same episode, Kevin, along with Gwen and Ben become official Plumbers, after which, Kevin leaves to tell his mother about his membership, this suggests that he has now reconciled and rejoined with his family. In "Darkstar Rising", when explaining that he wanted to be a Plumber for the sake of being just like his father, it "mostly" served as the reason that he joined the Tennysons in the first place. In the season 3 premiere "Vengence of Vilgax pt. 1", Kevin is subjected to feedback from the Omnitrix after Ben tampers with it. Because of this, he is unable to revert back to his normal human form, instead becoming a mixture of different elements. It is unknown if this made his body become a mixture of the elements he has absorbed or if this fused the materials around him to his body, though it's most likely the former. Personality Kevin is initially as distrustful and aggressive as ever, never fully trusting his teammates Ben and Gwen at first. Though eventually his distrust of them fades as the begin to face more dangerous and deadly situations. Relationships Ben Tennyson : Main Article: Ben Tennyson (Alien Force) Gwen Tennyson : Main Article: Gwen Tennyson (Alien Force) Powers and Ability Kevin's abilities have changed drastically since his last appearance. He no longer has the abilities of Ben's previous Omnitrix aliens, and shows no capability of draining or manipulating energy. Instead, he now has the ability to 'absorb' matter and form an armored "skin", temporarily gaining it's properties, this was revealed in the episode "All That Glitters". These powers are only superficial, however - although he is able to form a layer of whatever he absorbs around his person, sufficiently powerful attacks are able to shatter this outer laying, exposing his body beneath. He requires a decent amount of material to completely encase himself. This ability has once been used productively when Kevin was forced to synthesis a coating of precious material, with the coating thickening after multiple absorptions to the point where Kevin couldn't move. In the episode "Plumber's Helpers" it is revealed that Kevin can absorb multiple materials at once, creating a hybrid of them, and them being stronger than what they would be individually. He used this aspect of his ability to absorb copper, zinc, and nickel from loose change in his pocket when he was trapped in an energy field. Dwayne McDuffie stated that Kevin can, in fact, still absorb energy, but is "afraid to", a plausible reason, considering his previous mutation. Mutated Abilities In season 3 Kevin loses the ability to revert to his human form after a feedback blast from the Omnitrix, caused when Ben tampers with the Omnitrix, imprints various materials onto him, such as concrete, metal, wood, what appear to be Diamondhead crystals or quite possibly Taedenite crytals from "Kevin's Big Score". In addition, Kevin gains limited shape shifting abilities, seen when he shifts his hands into a variety different tools, such as a mace and large clippers. Paraphernalia Alternate Kevins Old Man Kevin In the episode "Paradox" Kevin was rapidly aged by touching the 1950s Monster. Kevin was returned to his normal age by the superhero Paradox later in the same episode. Gallery : Main Article: Kevin Levin (Alien Force)/Gallery File:Kevin Levin (Alien Force).jpg Trivia * His middle name is revealed to be Ethan, in Cartoon Network Action Pack Issue #27. ** In the Ben 10: Alien Force season 2 finale "War of the Worlds pt. 1", it is revealed that Kevin's middle name is Ethan, making his full name Kevin E. Levin, officially connecting the pun to his old nickname "Kevin Eleven". Ben finds this extremely hilarious, saying that he has lost "all remaining pretense of 'cool". * According to the Pop-up version of the original Ben 10 series episode, "Perfect Day", it is revealed that Gwen Tennyson had feelings of sympathy for Kevin Levin. This then grows into love in Ben 10: Alien Force. Category:Alien Force Category:Characters Category:Alien Force Characters Category:Heroes Category:Villains Category:Human/Alien Hybrids Category:Humans Category:Plumbers Category:Ben's Team Category:Osmosians Category:Ultimate Alien Category:Ultimate Alien Characters